How to build a biological machine using engineering materials and methods

We present work in 3D printing electric motors from basic materials as the key to building a self-replicating machine to colonise the Moon. First, we explore the nature of the biological realm to ascertain its essence, particularly in relation to the origin of life when the inanimate became animate. We take an expansive view of this to ascertain parallels between the biological and the manufactured worlds. Life must have emerged from the available raw material on Earth and, similarly, a self-replicating machine must exploit and leverage the available resources on the Moon. We then examine these lessons to explore the construction of a self-replicating machine using a universal constructor. It is through the universal constructor that the actuator emerges as critical. We propose that 3D printing constitutes an analogue of the biological ribosome and that 3D printing may constitute a universal construction mechanism. Following a description of our progress in 3D printing motors, we suggest that this engineering effort can inform biology, that motors are a key facet of living organisms and illustrate the importance of motors in biology viewed from the perspective of engineering (in the Feynman spirit of "what I cannot create, I cannot understand")

Training a terrain traversability classifier for a planetary rover through simulation

A classifier training methodology is presented for Kapvik, a micro-rover prototype. A simulated light detection and ranging scan is divided into a grid, with each cell having a variety of characteristics (such as number of points, point variance and mean height) which act as inputs to classification algorithms. The training step avoids the need for time-consuming and error-prone manual classification through the use of a simulation that provides training inputs and target outputs. This simulation generates various terrains that could be encountered by a planetary rover, including untraversable ones, in a random fashion. A sensor model for a three-dimensional light detection and ranging is used with ray tracing to generate realistic noisy three-dimensional point clouds where all points that belong to untraversable terrain are labelled explicitly. A neural network classifier and its training algorithm are presented, and the results of its output as well as other popular classifiers show high accuracy on test data sets after training. The network is then tested on outdoor data to confirm it can accurately classify real-world light detection and ranging data. The results show the network is able to identify terrain correctly, falsely classifying just 4.74% of untraversable terrain

Crop Updates - 2003 Weeds

This session covers Thirty four papers from different authors INTRODUCTION INTEGRATED WEED MANAGEMENT IWM system studies/demonstration sites Six years of IWM investigation – what does it tell us? Bill Roy, Agricultural Consulting and Research Services Pty Ltd Long term herbicide resistance site, the final chapter, Peter Newman and Glen Adam, Department of Agriculture Management of skeleton weed (chondrilla juncea) in a cropping rotation in Western Australia, J. R. Peirce and B. J. Rayner, Department of Agriculture WEED BIOLOGY AND COMPETITION Annual ryegrass seedbanks: The good, the bad and the ugly, Kathryn J. Steadman1, Amanda J. Ellery2 and Sally C. Peltzer3 , 1WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2CSIRO Plant Industry, 3 Department of Agriculture Annual ryegrass seeds after-ripen faster during a hot summer, Kathryn J. Steadman1, Gavin P. Bignell1 and Amanda J. Ellery2, 1WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2CSIRO Plant Industry Predicting annual ryegrass dormancy from climatic variables, Amanda Ellery, Andrew Moore, Sandy Nedelkos, Ross Chapman, CSIRO Plant Industry Removing dormancy in annual ryegrass seeds for early herbicide resistance testing, Kathryn J. Steadman and Mechelle J. Owen, WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA Annual ryegrass germination responds to nitrogen, Amanda Ellery1, Simone Dudley1 and Robert Gallagher2, 1CSIRO Plant Industry, 2Washington State University The agro-ecology of Malva parviflora (small flowered mallow), Pippa J. Michael, Kathryn J. Steadman and Julie A. Plummer, Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia The looming threat of wild radish, Peter Newman, Department of Agriculture IWM TOOLS Double knock, how close can we go? Peter Newman and Glen Adam, Department of Agriculture Double knock herbicide effect on annual ryegrass, Catherine Borger, Abul Hashem and Nerys Wilkins, Department of Agriculture Tactical techniques for managing Annual Ryegrass, Sally Peltzer1, Alex Douglas1, Fran Hoyle1, Paul Matson1 and Michael Walsh2 Department of Agriculture and 2Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative. Weed control through soil inversion, Sally Peltzer, Alex Douglas and Paul Matson, Department of Agriculture The burning issues of annual ryegrass seed control, Darren Chitty and Michael Walsh, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA No sign of chaff-cart resistant ryegrass! David Ferris, WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative UWA PACKAGES AND MODELLING Conserving glyphosate susceptibility – modelling past, present and future us. Paul Neve1, Art Diggle2, Patrick Smith3 and Stephen Powles1 ,1Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, School of Plant Biology, University of Western Australia, 2Department of Agriculture, 3CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems WEEDEM: A program for predicting weed emergence in Western Australia, Michael Walsh,1 David Archer2, James Eklund2 and Frank Forcella2, 1Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, UWA, 2USDA-Agricultural Research Service, 803 Iowa Avenue, Morris, MN 56267, USA Weed and herbicide management for long term profit: A workshop, Alister Draper1 and Rick Llewellyn12, 1WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, 2School of Agricultural and Resource Economics, University of Western Australia HERBICIDE RESISTANCE Alternative herbicides for control of triazine and diflufenican multiple resistant wild radish, Aik Cheam1, Siew Lee1, David Nicholson1 and Mike Clarke2 1Department of Agriculture, Western Australia, 2Bayer CropScience Resistance of wild mustard biotype to ALS-inhibiting herbicides in WA Wheatbelt, Abul Hashem, Department of Agriculture Glyphosate-resistant ryegrass biotypes in the WA wheatbelt, Abul Hashem, Catherine Borger and Nerys Wilkins, Department of Agriculture Implications of herbicide rates for resistance management, Paul Neve, Western Australian Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia Putting a price on herbicide resistance, Rick Llewellyn, School of Agricultural and Resource Economics/WA Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia Herbicide resistance from over the fence: Mobility and management, Debbie Allena, Rick Llewellynb, aUniversity of Western Australia, 4th year student, 2002. Mingenew-Irwin Group, bSchool of Agricultural and Resource Economics/Western Australia Herbicide Resistance Initiative, University of Western Australia HERBICIDE TOLERANCE Herbicide tolerance of new barley varieties, Harmohinder S. Dhammu and Terry Piper, Department of Agriculture Herbicide tolerance of new lupins, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture Herbicide tolerance of new field pea varieties, Harmohinder S. Dhammu, Terry Piper and David Nicholson, Department of Agriculture Herbicide tolerance of new lentil varieties, H.S. Dhammu, T.J. Piper and L.E. Young, Department of Agriculture HERBICIDES – NEW PRODUCTS/PRODUCT USES; USE Kill half leaf ryegrass with Spray.Seed® at night, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture CLEARFIELD™ wheat to control hard-to-kill weeds, Abul Hashem, Catherine Borger and Nerys Wilkins, Department of Agriculture Diuron, a possible alternative to simazine pre-emergent in lupins, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture Dual Gold® soft on barley, soft on weeds in dry conditions, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agriculture Dual Gold® soft on lupins, soft on ryegrass in dry conditions, Peter Newman and Glenn Adam, Department of Agricultur

Mars: new insights and unresolved questions

Mars exploration motivates the search for extraterrestrial life, the development of space technologies, and the design of human missions and habitations. Here, we seek new insights and pose unresolved questions relating to the natural history of Mars, habitability, robotic and human exploration, planetary protection, and the impacts on human society. Key observations and findings include: – high escape rates of early Mars’ atmosphere, including loss of water, impact present-day habitability; – putative fossils on Mars will likely be ambiguous biomarkers for life; – microbial contamination resulting from human habitation is unavoidable; and – based on Mars’ current planetary protection category, robotic payload(s) should characterize the local martian environment for any life-forms prior to human habitation.Some of the outstanding questions are:– which interpretation of the hemispheric dichotomy of the planet is correct; – to what degree did deep-penetrating faults transport subsurface liquids to Mars’ surface; – in what abundance are carbonates formed by atmospheric processes; – what properties of martian meteorites could be used to constrain their source locations; – the origin(s) of organic macromolecules; – was/is Mars inhabited; – how can missions designed to uncover microbial activity in the subsurface eliminate potential false positives caused by microbial contaminants from Earth; – how can we ensure that humans and microbes form a stable and benign biosphere; and – should humans relate to putative extraterrestrial life from a biocentric viewpoint (preservation of all biology), or anthropocentric viewpoint of expanding habitation of space?Studies of Mars’ evolution can shed light on the habitability of extrasolar planets. In addition, Mars exploration can drive future policy developments and confirm (or put into question) the feasibility and/or extent of human habitability of space

Psychosocial impact of undergoing prostate cancer screening for men with BRCA1 or BRCA2 mutations.

OBJECTIVES: To report the baseline results of a longitudinal psychosocial study that forms part of the IMPACT study, a multi-national investigation of targeted prostate cancer (PCa) screening among men with a known pathogenic germline mutation in the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes. PARTICPANTS AND METHODS: Men enrolled in the IMPACT study were invited to complete a questionnaire at collaborating sites prior to each annual screening visit. The questionnaire included sociodemographic characteristics and the following measures: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Impact of Event Scale (IES), 36-item short-form health survey (SF-36), Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer, Cancer Worry Scale-Revised, risk perception and knowledge. The results of the baseline questionnaire are presented. RESULTS: A total of 432 men completed questionnaires: 98 and 160 had mutations in BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes, respectively, and 174 were controls (familial mutation negative). Participants' perception of PCa risk was influenced by genetic status. Knowledge levels were high and unrelated to genetic status. Mean scores for the HADS and SF-36 were within reported general population norms and mean IES scores were within normal range. IES mean intrusion and avoidance scores were significantly higher in BRCA1/BRCA2 carriers than in controls and were higher in men with increased PCa risk perception. At the multivariate level, risk perception contributed more significantly to variance in IES scores than genetic status. CONCLUSION: This is the first study to report the psychosocial profile of men with BRCA1/BRCA2 mutations undergoing PCa screening. No clinically concerning levels of general or cancer-specific distress or poor quality of life were detected in the cohort as a whole. A small subset of participants reported higher levels of distress, suggesting the need for healthcare professionals offering PCa screening to identify these risk factors and offer additional information and support to men seeking PCa screening

The Changing Landscape for Stroke\ua0Prevention in AF: Findings From the GLORIA-AF Registry Phase 2

Background GLORIA-AF (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation) is a prospective, global registry program describing antithrombotic treatment patterns in patients with newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation at risk of stroke. Phase 2 began when dabigatran, the first non\u2013vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant (NOAC), became available. Objectives This study sought to describe phase 2 baseline data and compare these with the pre-NOAC era collected during phase 1. Methods During phase 2, 15,641 consenting patients were enrolled (November 2011 to December 2014); 15,092 were eligible. This pre-specified cross-sectional analysis describes eligible patients\u2019 baseline characteristics. Atrial fibrillation disease characteristics, medical outcomes, and concomitant diseases and medications were collected. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results Of the total patients, 45.5% were female; median age was 71 (interquartile range: 64, 78) years. Patients were from Europe (47.1%), North America (22.5%), Asia (20.3%), Latin America (6.0%), and the Middle East/Africa (4.0%). Most had high stroke risk (CHA2DS2-VASc [Congestive heart failure, Hypertension, Age  6575 years, Diabetes mellitus, previous Stroke, Vascular disease, Age 65 to 74 years, Sex category] score  652; 86.1%); 13.9% had moderate risk (CHA2DS2-VASc = 1). Overall, 79.9% received oral anticoagulants, of whom 47.6% received NOAC and 32.3% vitamin K antagonists (VKA); 12.1% received antiplatelet agents; 7.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. For comparison, the proportion of phase 1 patients (of N = 1,063 all eligible) prescribed VKA was 32.8%, acetylsalicylic acid 41.7%, and no therapy 20.2%. In Europe in phase 2, treatment with NOAC was more common than VKA (52.3% and 37.8%, respectively); 6.0% of patients received antiplatelet treatment; and 3.8% received no antithrombotic treatment. In North America, 52.1%, 26.2%, and 14.0% of patients received NOAC, VKA, and antiplatelet drugs, respectively; 7.5% received no antithrombotic treatment. NOAC use was less common in Asia (27.7%), where 27.5% of patients received VKA, 25.0% antiplatelet drugs, and 19.8% no antithrombotic treatment. Conclusions The baseline data from GLORIA-AF phase 2 demonstrate that in newly diagnosed nonvalvular atrial fibrillation patients, NOAC have been highly adopted into practice, becoming more frequently prescribed than VKA in Europe and North America. Worldwide, however, a large proportion of patients remain undertreated, particularly in Asia and North America. (Global Registry on Long-Term Oral Antithrombotic Treatment in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation [GLORIA-AF]; NCT01468701

Author Correction: Drivers of seedling establishment success in dryland restoration efforts

1 Pág. Correción errata.In the version of this Article originally published, the surname of author Tina Parkhurst was incorrectly written as Schroeder. This has now been corrected.Peer reviewe

The machine to end all machines - Towards self-replicating machines on the moon

We present the notion of a self-replicating machine for deployment on the Moon to leverage space colonization by exploiting its resources. The utility of self-replication cannot be understated - it offers the means to create an exponentially increasing general productive capacity on the Moon unconstrained by launch costs. Initially, we review the idea of physical self-replicating machines, emphasizing the universal constructor. The key to the universal construction mechanism necessary to realise self-replication is, we hypothesise, 3D printing. To date, 3D printing has been demonstrating its versatility in manufacturing structures, albeit of great sophistication. We briefly review 3D printing methods to date and suggest that fused deposition modeling and electron beam additive manufacturing offer a complete 3D printing capability suitable for deployment on the Moon. In our pursuit of a self-replicating machine, we have been working on 3D printing mechatronic components - electric motors, and to a lesser extent, electronics - as necessary steps to realizing 3D printing entire robotic machines in general (universal constructor) and 3D printers in particular (self-replicating machine). This 3D printer is essentially a core part of the payload for a rover vehicle which scours the lunar environment for the basic materials required for its own construction

Bioinspiration lessons from a self-replicating machine concept in a constrained environment

We present an outline of a self-replicating machine concept that utilises in-situ resources on the Moon with which to construct itself - this represents the ultimate bio-inspired system. In attempting to deal with the practical engineering issues with such a machine, there are a number of biomimetics lessons to be learned, the most important being the requirement to synthesise itself from local raw materials. The self-replicator may be envisaged as a mobile rover mounting a suite of 3D printers, drills, etc - this bears similarities to the upcoming Resource Prospector mission to the Moon to demonstrate in-situ resource utilisation. 3D printing of mechatronic components will be key to 3D printing of robotic machines. It will be partially demonstrated that electric motors and neural circuits can be 3D printed. On the assumption that almost any functional structure can be 3D printed, 3D printing motors and electronics constitutes a demonstration of universal construction capability